by Corinne Demas

"Demas writes beautifully of a family in crisis, a teen who takes charge of her own life, first love and last love, and the way a closeness with the natural world forces growth the way a gardener forces early bulbs. I could not stop reading." —Jane Yolen, author of The Devil's Arithmetic, Sword of the Rightful King, and Girl in a Cage

"My walls were stripped, and all that was left in the room was a pile of boxes and my mattress propped against the wall."

So begins Irene's journey from a Manhattan penthouse to—well, she's not entirely sure where. Irene's father, a corporate big-wig, is "downsized," and when he can't find work, her family's lifestyle—and her mother's spending—quickly catches up with them. Eventually, they're forced to move in with Irene's grandfather upstate at the family farmhouse. But what begins as the most disastrous summer of Irene's life takes a surprising turn, and Irene must decide what she wants for herself after losing everything she was.

About Corinne Demas

Corinne Demas grew up in New York City, in Stuyvesant Town. In 1978, she moved to New England and began teaching at Mount Holyoke College, where she is now a professor of English. She has published more than twenty books for adults and young readers in a career that spans three decades. She now lives with her family in western Massachusetts and spends the summer on Cape Cod.

Book Details

by Ginny Rorby

"I don't realize I'm crying until he glances at me. For a moment, I see the look of anguish in his eyes, then he blinks it away and slips off into the water. I immediately think of the gator. It's still down there somewhere...."

A science-class field trip to the Everglades is supposed to be fun, but Sarah's new at Glades Academy, and her fellow freshmen aren't exactly making her feel welcome. When an opportunity for an unauthorized side trip on an airboat presents itself, it seems like a perfect escape—an afternoon without feeling like a sore thumb. But one simple oversight turns a joyride into a race for survival. Sarah will have to count on her instincts—and a guy she barely knows—if they have any hope of making it back alive.

A Junior Library Guild Selection

About Ginny Rorby

Ginny Rorby grew up in Winter Park, Florida, and lived in Miami during her career as a Pan American flight attendant. She later earned an MFA in creative writing from Florida International University. Her goal, after wrapping up her flying career and her graduate studies, was to move to a place where she'd never be hot again. She now lives on the chilly coast of northern California with her parrot and way too many cats. Her novel Hurt Go Happy won the ALA Schneider Family Book Award.

Book Details

by Cliff McNish

Savannah Grey needs to keep moving. She doesn't know why, but she can't let herself get tied down by too many people. It's almost like she's being chased by something. And now something strange is happening with her neck—with her throat.

Then she meets Reece—a guy who seems to understand her needs. He even knows about her neck. The same thing is happening to him. It's as if their voices are becoming weapons, warming up for some kind of attack.

Nature is preparing for battle with the universe's ultimate monster. The time to fight is almost here. The weapon is Savannah Grey.

About Cliff McNish

Cliff McNish is the author of many books for children and young adults, most recently Angel and Breathe. He is married and has a teenage daughter, for whose entertainment he made up his first stories.

Book Details

by Ashley Hope Pérez

"Another day finished, gracias a Dios."

Seventeen-year-old Marisa's mother has been saying this for as long as Marisa can remember. Her parents came to Houston from Mexico. They work hard, and they expect Marisa to help her familia. An ordinary life—marrying a neighborhood guy, working, having babies—ought to be good enough for her.

At school, it's another story. Marisa's calc teacher expects her to ace the AP test and get into an engineering program. Caught between the expectations of two different worlds, Marisa isn't sure what she wants—other than a life where she doesn't end each day thanking God it's over.

About Ashley Hope Pérez

Ashley Hope Pérez grew up in Texas and served in the Teach for America Corps in a neighborhood similar to the one depicted in her debut novel. She has worked as a translator and is completing a PhD in comparative literature. She lives in Indiana with her husband and their son. She is working on her next novel.

Book Details

Carolrhoda Lab is dedicated to distinctive, provocative, boundary-pushing fiction for teens and their sympathizers. Carolrhoda Lab probes and examines the young-adult condition one novel at a time, affording YA authors and readers an opportunity to explore and experiment with thoughts, ideas, and paradigms in the human condition. Adolescence is an experience we share and a condition from which some of us never quite recover. All of us at Carolrhoda Lab are proud to proclaim our lifelong adolescence and our commitment to publishing exceptional fiction about the teenage experience.